How has the global jihadist movement changed in the 20 years since 9/11? Katherine Zimmerman finds that although Salafi-jihadi organizations like al Qaeda have adjusted the ways they operate, their "core belief that violent jihad must be waged to restore Islam in Muslim societies has not changed" — and they have more fighters in more countries than ever before.

For more on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, read this brief series of reflections from scholars of AEI's Foreign and Defense Policy team, including Hal Brands, Giselle Donnelly, Danielle Pletka, Kenneth M. Pollack, Michael Rubin, Kori Schake, Paul Wolfowitz, and Katherine Zimmerman.

This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of welfare reform. To evaluate the effectiveness of that bipartisan legislation, Bruce D. Meyer and other economists studied the changes in the economic well-being of families headed by single mothers. Their research indicates that earnings from work, consumption, and material well-being of the most disadvantaged households have all risen markedly since the 1990s.

On the COVID-19 front, Michael Rosen analyzes the drawbacks of temporarily suspending patent rights associated with vaccines. A better way to help the developing world in the fight against COVID-19, he argues, is for America and other wealthy nations to purchase more of the vaccine and distribute it globally.

Ryan Streeter looks at the "decluttering" mindset prevalent among state policymakers of both parties. Streeter argues that this approach, which "seeks to diminish or remove the rules and requirements that drive up the cost" of housing and employment, is more promising for our times than one that emphasizes social spending and new federal programs.